Tierra Whack; photo by Phobymo Save Story Save this story Save Story Save this story With so much good music being released all the time, it can be hard to determine what to listen to first. Every week, Pitchfork offers a run-down of significant new releases available on streaming services. This week’s batch includes new albums from Tierra Whack, Evilgiane, Tucker Zimmerman, and Big Freedia and Sophie. Subscribe to Pitchfork’s New Music Friday newsletter to get our recommendations in your inbox every week. (All releases featured here are independently selected by our editors. When you buy something through our affiliate links, however, Pitchfork earns an affiliate commission.)
It’s been over two years since we’ve received any transmissions from the weird, wonderful world of Philadelphia rapper Tierra Whack , whose playful, primary-color aesthetic is as instantly recognizable as her flow. This trademark blend of style and substance remains in top form on Whack’s Museum , the follow-up to her 2024 LP World Wide Whack . Instant-canon singles like the opp-thrashing “Totem” (where she laments needing “more rappers to step on” over a chime-laced beat ) and “Wax Paper” (classic boom-bap served up via toy piano), once again prove there’s no one like her in the game.
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Surf Gang head honcho Evilgiane is a star in his own right, but he’s still at his most inspired in a posse. The second record in his #Heavensgate series recruits both familiar faces (Xaviersobased, RealYungPhil, Slimesito, Harto Falión) and fresh recruits (Jckzebra, Lazer Dim 700, Rico Nasty) to do their worst over 23 pulsating, aqueous beats, which flow so naturally it's easy to mistake them for your own heartbeat. Giane’s signature is easily clockable these days for anyone casually familiar with hip-hop’s post-Carti underground, but #Heavensgate2 indicates he still has plenty of new ground to cover, and opportunities to stretch his sound.
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When news broke earlier this year that singer-songwriter Tucker Zimmerman had died in a house fire with his wife, Marie-Claire Lambert, an immediate outpouring from the public further cemented the importance of his catalog in the American folk canon. But on Dream Me a Dream , Zimmerman’s final record , absolutely no haughty airs infiltrate his singular perspective. Brought to life with support from Big Potato’s own Nick Holton, Dream Me a Dream is Zimmerman at his most centered: exploring shades of love and connection through rich depictions of the natural world. The years have only intensified Zimmerman’s mournful, hushed vocal performance, and Dream Me a Dream often plays out like a bedtime story spun by a beloved elder, accompanied by soft strings, shakers, and even a synth or two. Those who worked closest with Zimmerman on the record couldn't have known it would be his last statement at the time. And yet, as a closing note to a luminous career, Dream Me a Dream succeeds in spades.
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Five years before pop innovator SOPHIE ’s untimely death, she invited New Orleans bounce pioneer Big Freedia to her Los Angeles home studio for a recording session. A decade later, three songs born from that collaboration are Released at Last , an EP th…